Argumentative Essay On Child Sex Trafficking

Child Sex Trafficking, The Worst Kind of Slavery

Slavery, one of the most contemptible human rights violations, was declared illegal in the United States by the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution. A practice so immoral, inhumane, and unfair to its’ victims, that the Civil War was fought in an effort to abolish it. The whole world is aware of the immorality of slavery; however slavery was never totally eradicated, it continues today in many different forms. A modern day example of slavery is human trafficking, particularly the sex trade. Even more shocking is the general belief that the most common victims of sex trafficking are grown women who made bad choices and are now paying for it. Tragically, a large number of individuals involved

(Conrad 1) The Texas Criminal Justice Coalition information claims that there are over 3,000 child sex trade victims currently in Texas. Texas is a breeding place for human trafficking because of Interstate 10 and because it is a border state with Mexico. The Texas Department of Public safety reports “Trafficking is the fastest growing enterprise in organized crime and the third biggest criminal enterprise worldwide.” (Beach 1) The criminals themselves range from highly organized mobs and cartels to individual pimps trying to make a quick buck. The men and women that perpetrate these acts often use shady websites and business locations to connect with customers and are known to use Internet chat rooms to lure their child victims. Sex slavery is not strictly limited to females, although females are the majority of victims. Some victims are

Since 2,000 there has been at least eight pieces of legislation passed at the federal level to protect victims, provide punishment for the traffickers and earmark funds for victim assistance. The Justice For Victims of Trafficking Act of 2015 is a comprehensive Federal law with several different sections that address Justice for the Victims of Trafficking, Combating Human Trafficking, The Hero Act, Rape Survivor Child Custody, Military Sex Offender Reporting, Stopping Exploitation Through Trafficking, and other sections that address training and awareness for heath care workers and Homeland Security, better response time for responders and protection for human trafficking victims. (how do I cite this federal law?) In 2003, Texas was the first state to pass a law criminalizing human trafficking. This legislation allowed for more severe punishment for human traffickers. Texas Governor, Greg Abbot and the 84th Texas Legislature passed a law to combat the human trafficking of children; House Bill 10, became law June 9, 2015. This law eliminates the statute of limitations on prosecution for forced child prostitution, grants immunity for witnesses of the crime, created a Child Trafficking Prevention Unit, and ordered The Texas Education Agency to devise a school reporting system to report possible victims of sex trafficking to the authorities. (Barnett)